


Must Love Dogs

by Stahlop



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Online Dating, pet dating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-04
Updated: 2019-08-01
Packaged: 2020-06-03 17:32:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19468750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stahlop/pseuds/Stahlop
Summary: Emma is done with online dating, so she decides to get a dog instead.  Could a new pet dating site lead to true love?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have been wanting to write the story of how my husband and I met as a CS fic for ages, so I finally started it. It was supposed to be a one-shot, but it's now going to be a short MC. And I wanted to post today because it is has been 14 years exactly since our first date. Thanks @profdanglis for being my beta. Also, I suck at summaries.

“I’m done with online dating!” Emma huffed into the phone as she flopped backward onto her bed. **  
**

“I swear Mary Margaret, I’m done. There are no good guys to find from dating online. It would be easier to find a guy in a bar like the good old days.” Emma threw her arm over her eyes to block out the light in her room.

“Oh come on, Emma,” Mary Margaret, Emma’s best friend, began, “They haven’t been all bad.”

“Have you lost your memory, Mary Margaret?” Emma asked incredulously. “Do you not remember my descriptions of all the extremely bad dates I’ve been on over the past two years since I started online dating?” Emma set her phone on her bed, pressed the speaker button, and started combing her fingers through her long, blonde hair to put up into a messy bun.

“First there was the guy who only gave one word responses to every question I asked.” She huffed while unzipping her boots and throwing them into her closet from her bed. 

“Then there was August who invited me to see his band, then got totally wasted before he was even off stage and hit on every other girl in the bar while he was talking to me.” Off came her socks thrown viciously into the hamper. 

“Then that Walsh guy who was totally pretentious about having seen ‘The Vagina Monologues’ but really just wanted to say the word vagina over and over again.’ She wrestled her legs out of the jeans she had been wearing on her date tonight and grabbed her sweats that were haphazardly hanging off the side of her bed. She breathed a sigh of relief to be in much more comfortable clothes. 

“This last date couldn’t have been worse than those, Emma.” Mary Margaret said incredulously. 

“This guy, Neal, started off well,” Emma said, her voice getting a little muffled as she struggled to get her tight, ribbed shirt off and put on a Boston University sweatshirt instead, “He’s a dental assistant, so that seemed promising. At least it was until he let me know how helpful that was when he got into a fight at a concert last month and had to have his teeth that were knocked out fixed.” Emma angrily stalked into the kitchen and started rummaging through her bottom cabinet for her saucepan.

“Oh, gees!” Mary Margaret complained. “I mean, that doesn’t seem that bad. At least he got his teeth fixed.” she continued trying to make the best out of the situation.

“Oh, it gets worse!” Emma said, grabbing the chocolate discs from inside the freezer and emptying them onto a cutting board sitting on her kitchen counter. She opened the refrigerator and grabbed the milk and poured about a cupful into the saucepan and turned the burner on low heat. “He proceeded to get into details about this fight and how it ended with him getting kicked in the balls and how painful that is.” She now grabbed a knife from the knife block and started vigorously chopping up the chocolate.

“Well…” Mary Margaret started but Emma was too worked up now to let her interrupt.

“So, I made the quip about how childbirth was supposed to be more painful, and he replied with ‘That’s just something women say to get attention!’” she huffed and almost sliced her finger with force she was now cutting the chocolate.

“Oh, Emma,” Mary Margaret started again. 

“I literally just gaped at him, pulled out a $20 for my meal and drink, and left. And he had the audacity to yell after ‘Can I call you?’” And at that Emma practically threw the knife into the sink.

Emma took several deep breaths awaiting Mary Margaret’s response. It took a few seconds and Emma began to think that they had maybe disconnected. She glanced at the milk on the stove and noticed the small bubbles starting to break the surface and quickly picked up the cutting board and swept the chopped chocolate into the hot milk. Just as she grabbed the wooden spoon from the drawer below to start stirring the chocolate into the milk, Mary Margaret started speaking again.

“Emma, I know you hate it when I wax poetic on love, but you really shouldn’t give up on finding it. I still feel like online dating could work if you find the right guy. I know you have walls from your childhood, but - they may keep out pain; but they also keep out love.” Mary Margaret knew Emma had doubts, but she really didn’t want her friend to give up because of a few bad dates.

Emma was now pouring the hot chocolate into her swan mug and gave a heavy sigh. “Don’t you think all these horrible dates are a sign that I’m just not meant to be with someone? I know you and David found each other on TrueLove.com, but not everyone is you.” Emma placed the saucepan into the sink and quickly ran some water into it. She opened the refrigerator and grabbed the whipped cream and sprayed it onto her hot chocolate. She replaced it back in the fridge then grabbed the cinnamon on the counter and sprinkled some over the whipped cream.

“You do realize David and I didn’t actually meet online. He was on a date with another girl and I was drunk at the bar and I accidentally swiped his credit card thinking it was mine.” Mary Margaret reminded her.

Emma chuckled, her first true expression of happiness this whole disaster of a night, “Yes, but he met her through TrueLove.com, so it’s still because of that dating site that you two met. Just think, if you hadn’t have swiped his card he might have ended up married to that Kathryn chick.”

“God forbid!” Mary Margaret gasped. “Besides, she ended up with Freddie the gym teacher at my school.” Mary Margaret taught fifth grade at the local elementary school. “Turns out after David ditched her to figure out where his credit card had gone, she ran into him at the bar. Apparently, she and Freddie had been high school sweethearts and her father didn’t like him so he sent her to a college out of state to separate them. It was fate that I happened to take David’s card, or she may have never found Freddie again.” Emma sighed and rolled her eyes at the way Mary Margaret sounded so hopeful telling this story. She was always giving hope speeches about finding love.

“Look,” Emma started while blowing on her hot chocolate to cool it down, “I think I just need a break from online dating. It’s exhausting trying to find a good guy on there. I just needed to vent about the awful date. It’s so much easier on Tinder when I know the guy is a creep I get to arrest.”

“Emma,” Mary Margaret said sternly, “your Tinder dates aren’t dates. That’s you pretending it’s a date to arrest them for skipping bail. It’s not even funny to joke about that.”

Emma had now plopped herself down on her couch and turned the television on to Animal Planet. Pitbulls and Parolees, one of her favorite shows, was on.

“Maybe I should get a dog.” Emma said suddenly. “At least that way I’ll have someone to come home to everyday and someone who loves me unconditionally.”

“I can see I’ve lost you on the dating conversation.” Mary Margaret huffed. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow, sweetie.’

“Ok, Mary Margaret, talk to you tomorrow.” Emma said distracted by the pitbulls on the television screen. She definitely thought a trip to the local dog shelter might be exactly what she needed.

EKEKEK

Emma didn’t get to the shelter the next day; a skip she’d been tracking for a few weeks suddenly came back into town and she collared him exiting a grocery store of all places, but the day after she definitely made time to go the shelter where Mary Margaret’s husband, David, worked.

“Emma,” David began, “are you sure you understand all that’s involved in caring for a dog?” He looked at her with concern. Emma was notorious for barely taking care of herself, let alone another living creature.

“I think this is what I need, David.” Emma began. “I would rather be caring for someone that needs me than go out looking for someone who just wants to get into my pants. I think this would be good for me.” She finished. David nodded and brought her into the back where the animals were kept.

Emma had been imagining that it would be an almost dungeon-like place with sad looking animals in cages. She was pleasantly surprised to find only a few cages, but mainly large rooms with several happy looking dogs and cats running around playfully. There was even an outdoor area where the dogs could play with volunteers from the shelter.

“Most people just like to look around, see what kind of dog jumps out at them, literally and figuratively. You can take any dogs that you like out to the play area to really get a feel for their energy level.” David said

Emma strolled through the room. Each room window had a paper taped to it that said “Hi! My name is…” with the name of the dog, plus their age, what type of dog they were and any pertinent information a pet owner might need. Emma knew she needed a smaller to medium-sized dog as she lived in an apartment, and she did not want a puppy that she would have to housetrain.

She walked up and down one set of rooms and saw a medium-sized black and white dog looking slightly forlorn. Two other dogs were wrenching a rope chew toy back and forth between them. The dog was laying on a large dog pillow, completely oblivious to what it’s roommates were doing. Emma stopped in front of the window and the dog briefly looked up. Something about it just spoke to her.

“I’d like to take that one outside.” Emma said to David who was a little further back. 

“Really?” he asked, “That one has been known to be a little prickly. Doesn’t seem to like people very much.” He said as he got out his keys from his pocket. Emma laughed at the comment, as people tended to say the same thing about her.

“Sounds like the perfect match.”

“She’s some sort of Boston terrier/pit mix from what we can tell.” David said as he grabbed a harness off the wall to put on the dog. “You can have genetic testing done on a dog to find out exactly what the breed background is, just like with people, but unless they have some disease that is breed specific, it’s not really worth it.” He finished fitting the harness on the dog and handed the leash to Emma. “You can take her out to the back playground for about 15 minutes to get a feel for her.”

The dog was ecstatic to be outside. She ran around the fence perimeter about three times before she came over to Emma and gave her a good sniff. Her tail immediately started wagging.

“Smell something you like, huh?” Emma said to the dog. The dog gave her hand a tentative lick. Emma reached over and slowly started scratching behind the dog’s ears. Immediately, one of the back legs came up and started thumping out of the dog’s control.

“Oh, you like that a lot, don’t you pretty girl?” The dog chuffed at her but did not move away.

They continued to bond for the rest of the allotted time, the dog running around, but always coming back to Emma for a scratch or to be petted. David watched from the window. He was surprised at how well this dog liked Emma. She usually acted aloof to any person who tried to play with her. David had never seen her so… overjoyed. And Emma seemed to really be bonding with her too. David had never seen Emma so affectionate with someone before. They really seemed to be the perfect match.

Emma arranged to pick her up the next day. It was only after the dog was put back in the room that Emma noticed the name on the dog’s paper, Aphrodite.

EKEKEK

“So, Emma,” Mary Margaret said through speakerphone as Emma was putting away dishes. 

“Uh, oh,” Emma said. She could already tell that Mary Margaret had something up her sleeve from the tone in her voice. It had been two months since she had adopted Aphrodite, or Ditie, as she was prone to calling her (with an occasional Diters when she was being a really good girl), and Mary Margaret had seemed to accept that a dog was all she needed in her life and she did not need a man. “This sounds like what you usually say to me when you’re trying to set me up. You’re not trying to set me up are you?”

Mary Margaret gave a little cluck. “No.” She said almost a little too quickly. “It’s just….” she paused to get the right wording out. “Well, I was reading this article today about online dating,” Emma huffed through the phone, “and I read that there are all these new niche dating sites that are up and coming.”

“What does that mean, Mary Margaret?” Emma asked exasperated that this is where the conversation had gone.

“Well, have you ever considered a pet dating site?” Mary Margaret asked almost meekly.

Emma glanced over her countertop to see Ditie snoozing away in her dog bed, a new one she had bought for her when she had taken her home the day after their initial meeting. Emma smiled contently.

“What is that? Like an online dating site for my dog? She’s been fixed, Mary Margaret, she doesn’t need any other life partners other than me.” Emma walked back over to the dishwasher and grabbed the silverware basket to put away.

“No!” Mary Margaret said over the clinking of the forks, knives, and spoons, “It’s a site for people with pets to meet other people with pets. Niche sites are for people with specific interests. I thought it wouldn’t be bad to possibly meet someone else who also had a dog. Then maybe you could find a boyfriend and Ditie could also have a playmate.” Emma huffed again. Ditie also huffed in her sleep.

“I don’t need to find a man just to socialize my dog, Mary Margaret.”

“I know that, I just thought it might be something to look into. I’m texting you a site I found. Just take a look. Gotta go, bye!” Mary Margaret said brightly, then hung up before Emma could argue any further.

She continued to put away her dishes while Ditie snoozed when a ping came from her phone. It was the text from Mary Margaret as promised.

“Really?” Emma whined when she saw the name of the site, Mustlovedogs.com. She put her phone back down to finish her dishes. She still had some research to do for a skip she knew was still in town and she was hoping to nab the next day. She sat down at her desk, opened her laptop and started researching the leads she had about her skip. 

_“Ok, the skip has been sighted in these areas recently. He also has an ex who lives not too far from here that might be helpful. It looks like she has a dog, I wonder if she had it when they met. Dammit! Stop thinking about dogs, Emma. Ok, I could scope out the ex’s apartment and see what she’s up to. Maybe she’ll be out walking her dog and I could have Ditie with me and then it would seem natural. Two people with dogs meeting is natural. Dammit! Stop thinking about meeting people with dogs, Emma!”_ She pushed the laptop away in frustration. She checked the time and saw she’d only been working for about 15 minutes before her mind wandered to that damn website.

“Dammit!” she huffed while pulling her laptop back closer to her and reopening it and entering the website Mary Margaret had sent her.

The website was full of bright pictures of couples with their dogs in various states of happiness: walking in the park, playing fetch, all sleeping in the same bed. Emma rolled her eyes at the obvious happily ever after vibe that was happening on the site. She decided to put in some basic information in the “what she was looking for” section on the website just to see what it would come up with. According to the site, she didn’t need to have a membership to look, just to contact any potential matches she might get. Once she put the information in, she realized just how new the website actually was. On the last site she’d been on she had usually matched to about 30-40 different guys with similar interests. Here she was only matched with eight.

She started scanning through the profiles that had been selected for her. The main format was the same as any other dating site, just a blurb about yourself, your interests and hobbies, but it also had a profile section for your dog. 

“That’s cute.” She said out loud, while scanning the first profile. Nothing in particular stood out to her that made her want to contact the guy though.

All the guys seemed standard website dating fare, except that they had dogs, which made them slightly better than most guys Emma supposed. Dogs were excellent judges of character, so she assumed that all these guys were better than the average single guy just for the fact that they had dogs. But no one was really standing out.

It was 11:00 when she got to the eighth and final profile. So far Mary Margaret’s website had been a bust, and she was getting tired. She’d read this last profile, one Killian Jones, and head to . . . holy mother, he was good looking! Dark brown hair and piercing blue eyes, a bit of scruff on his chin. He was leaning, almost nonchalantly, against a boat mast with just the hint of a smile on the corners of his lips. It could look arrogant, but on him it looked almost boyish, even though he was definitely all man. There was no way his profile could match his gorgeousness.

_Killian Jones - 34, graphic designer_

_Originally from London, I moved to the US to go to college (Go Terriers!). I was primarily interested in pursuing an English degree, but even with my superfluous vocabulary, found it utterly pedantic, and not wanting to complete the British stereotype of a stodgy, British, English professor, decided to go into the exciting world of graphic design instead. I currently am the head graphic designer for Boston Tea Party Boat Tours. The sea is my mistress, which essentially means I love to go sailing. I spent many years as a child learning to sail and find it very soothing. A great stress reliever. And, while an affection for sailing the open waters would be nice, is not a deal breaker when it comes to a woman I am wooing. I also enjoy many land activities, including geocaching and drinking rum (I’ve been told I have all the makings of a pirate). Hopefully, being a possible pirate does not put you off of reading the rest of my profile. At least give my dog a chance if my profile scared you a little._

_Jolly - 2, Boston Terrier/Pit Mix_

_Hi! I’m Jolly, short for Jolly Roger, even though I’m a girl. My dad has a thing for Peter Pan and since he didn’t like Wendy or Tiger Lily for a dog, Jolly it is. And I am a jolly dog, so aptly named. I love going out sailing with my dad because I have a cool blue life vest that I get to wear. I also love walking on the beach and rolling in the sand and getting myself so sandy that my dad has to vacuum out his car more than is necessary. I also love going for drives (I call shotgun!) and just going to any place that allows dogs. I’d love for my dad to find me another dog to play with and for him to have another human to play with._

Emma gave out a slight laugh, because of course it was written perfectly. The profile was definitely different from the usual profiles she was used to reading. She also liked that he’d written Jolly’s profile as it were from her perspective, something none of the other men had done on their profiles (and the fact that Jolly was the same mixed breed as Ditie). He just sounded so personable, and someone Emma would actually hang out with . . . or even date.

She looked at the time on her laptop and say that it was just after 11 PM. She had a really good feeling about this guy. One she’d never had with any of her other online dates. She did a quick online search of him and found him on the website for Tea Party Boat Tours as his place of employment. She didn’t find much else, which, in her profession, she always found was a good thing.

“Ok, Emma, you can do this.” she said trying to pep herself up to writing a profile with half as much personality as his. 

_Emma Swan, 28, Bail Bonds Person_

_I moved around a lot when I was a kid so I’m from nowhere in particular. I finally decided to put down some roots in Boston around five years ago. As it states above, I am a Bail Bonds Person, which I’ve been doing for the past eight years. I am currently pursuing a criminal justice degree at BU and studying for the Police Academy exam. I am a master of the law so please don’t respond to this profile if you are a felon, have even been a felon, or plan on being a felon. I like taking runs near the water and so does my dog, but I also love just chilling out at home, ordering out, and streaming old 80’s and 90’s movies (Goonies and Hook being two of my favorites)._

_Aphrodite, 1, Boston Terrier/Pit Mix_

_My mommy has only been my mommy for about two months, but she has been the best mommy ever! She gives me lots of treats and takes me on lots of walks! I especially love going to dog parks, especially ones that have water. Baths and swimming are my favorite! I don’t get to go swimming much though, as mommy doesn’t know anyone with a pool. But my favorite dog park has a little swimming area for dogs like me. I know my mommy thinks I’m all she needs, but I think human companionship with someone else who also has a dog companion for me would be good._

Emma looked it over. She didn’t want to come off sounding desperate, but she also wanted to match the same playful tone Killian had written his (and Jolly’s) profile with. She just needed pictures of herself and Ditie to add to her profile. 

Opening her pictures folder, Emma quickly scrolled through until she found the picture she wanted to use. It was the day she brought Ditie home. David had taken it before she left the shelter. Emma had a big wide smile, her long, blonde hair tied into a loose braid hanging over her shoulder. Ditie was licking her cheek and David managed to snap the picture before she scrunched her face because of Ditie’s tongue practically in her mouth.

Emma uploaded the photo of her and Ditie, and uploaded the whole profile onto the website. Now, to get Mr. Killian Jones to notice it. She had noticed that there was the option of a virtual kiss, kind of like a nudge or poke on some of the other sites she had been on. So she clicked on the virtual kiss option on his website. She let out a big breath of air that she hadn’t even realized she’d been holding. 

Checking the time again, it was now close to midnight, Emma decided there was nothing else she could do tonight. She closed the laptop and went to get ready for bed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’d like to thank @profdanglais, not only for being my beta, but for this wonderful artwork that she made for me which you can see on Tumblr.

Killian didn’t usually work so late, but they were revamping the whole website at work, something about making it more user friendly (he didn’t how much more user friendly he could possibly make it), so he’d been working late nights for the past week or so.

Jolly didn’t appreciate the late hour. She liked sleeping with him on his bed and stealing his blankets. She didn’t care for the many dog beds he had bought her to try to deter her from this. She was currently trying to get his attention by nuzzling her head under his arm while he was trying to maneuver his mouse around in his graphic design application.

“I know, Jolly,” he sighed, checking the time and seeing that it was close to midnight, “I’m almost done for the night.” He scrubbed his hand over his face as the tiredness was seeping in and his eyes were starting to droop.

He took a last sip of the decaffeinated tea he had been drinking and was about to turn off the computer when he noticed an email alert in his notifications. Normally, he would let it keep until the morning, but being that his bosses tended to email him whenever an idea for the website struck, he figured he should check it out, just in case.

At first glance he thought it was spam mail that had made it through his spam filter, as he couldn’t recall what Mustlovedogs.com would be, and then he remembered. 

_One year ago…_

_After years of working at a company that didn’t seem to appreciate his graphic design talents, Killian had finally secured a job at the boat touring company he’d been in negotiations with for the past few weeks! This was cause for a celebratory drink with friends. Luckily, Robin and Will were available on such short notice._

_“Cheers, mate!” Both Robin and Will chorused as they started on their first round of Guinness. They knew he’d been miserable in his last job and had mainly stayed on because his ex-girlfriend worked there as well. When they had broken up, Killian knew he had to find some other place to work. He couldn’t be at a job he hated plus work around the woman who had broken his heart._

_They were about to order a second round when the dreaded ex walked in, with his former boss on her arm._

_“Shit!” Killian cursed, “Milah, just walked through the fucking door with Mr. Gold.” His Guinness went down his throat a little bit faster; his joyous mood now turning sour._

_“We need to get this bloke out of here.” Will said to Robin who nodded in agreement. While Killian and Milah had been broken up for about three months now, seeing her on the arm of another man, especially the man who didn’t appreciate his talents at work, could bring about another bout of self-pity, which was not something Robin or Will wanted to be around again._

_“I thought we were celebrating.” Killian said as his friends tried to walk him home. He instead turned into a local pub that was just a few doors down from where they’d been._

_“Three rum shots!” Killian announced to the bartender when he approached the bar._

_“Mate,” Will began “I don’t think we need to be drinking the hard stuff tonight. I thought we were just having a few beers to celebrate.”_

_“Who said any of these were for you?” Killian asked immediately downing all three in a matter of seconds._

_“Okay, then.” Robin said giving Will the look that said Killian needed to be brought home now._

_Robin paid the bartender and both he and Will took Killian out of his second bar for the night and walked him the rest of the way home. Luckily, Killian didn’t live that far away from the bars they liked to frequent._

_“Rolly Joger!” Killian exclaimed as his dog greeted him at the door. Both Will and Robin snickered at the fact that Killian was already drunk enough that he had messed up his dog’s name._

_“At least I have one lady that loves me.” He said kneeling down to Jolly and letting her give him kisses all over his face._

_“And I think that is our cue to leave.” Robin said to Will. They closed the door behind them as Killian continued to be bathed in dog kisses._

_“Maybe that’s what I need, Jolly. A lady that loves me...us...both you and me.”He said, getting up from the floor and going over to his laptop. “There has to be someone out there who appreciates a man and his dog.”_

_He somehow managed to get his cursor into the Google bar and typed in ‘dating sites must love dogs’._

He chuckled at the memory. His breakup with Milah had been painful, but he had decided to adopt Jolly after it had happened, and then he got his current job, a job he was much happier in. So, he really did have Milah to thank for all that. Apparently, a year later, his profile was still up and someone was interested, having sent him a virtual kiss. He checked the time, seeing it was close to midnight and he was supposed to be at work at 8 the next morning, but looking at the profile couldn’t hurt, right?

He clicked the link, impressed himself by remembering the username and password he had set up for himself a year ago, and opened up the profile of one Emma Swan.

Suddenly, Killian wasn’t tired anymore. On his screen was a blonde goddess with a dog similar to his own. He could swear his heart skipped a beat. Jolly whined again.

“Hold on there, Jolly, I’ll be ready in a minute.” He had to read this woman’s profile. There was no way her looks and personality could match.

But they did. 

“She’s studying to be in law enforcement, Jolly! Do you know how incredibly sexy that is?” He gave his pup a smooch on the top of her head. Jolly tried to nuzzle his head some more, but Killian was already up, taking his empty mug of tea to the sink. This woman, this Emma Swan, he could tell she had seen his profile first, had written hers to somewhat match the same playful (drunken) tone he’d taken on in his, and he liked that. Liked that she already wanted to impress him, wanted him to like her. He felt like she was talking directly to him.

He quickly changed into a pair of BU sweatpants and brushed his teeth. Jolly got herself situated onto her side of the bed. Killian went back to the laptop and Jolly whined.

“I know, I know, just let me do one more thing Jolly, and then I’m all yours.” He grinned at his dog who was currently giving him the evil eye because he wasn’t in the bed yet. He clicked the button to send a virtual kiss back, then closed his laptop and got into bed. Jolly gave him a lick on the nose, turned twice on the bed, and went to sleep. 

He hadn’t been this excited about a woman since Milah. Hopefully, this wouldn’t end up the same way, although he highly doubted a married woman would be on a dating site. Killian couldn’t wait to see if he’d receive something else from the beautiful and well-spoken Miss Swan the next day.

EKEKEK

Emma woke to Ditie’s head in her face, her normal way of waking her up. She would put her head on the mattress and put her face right up in Emma’s face, starting at her until she woke up. The first few times Ditie had done that she’d freaked Emma out when she had woken up, scaring poor Ditie back to her dog bed. But Emma had gotten used to it, even though her heart still skipped a little upon waking up.

“Need to go out, Ditie?” Emma asked stretching. Ditie chuffed as though this were a stupid question. It was morning, of course she had to go out. She padded out of Emma’s bedroom and over to the front door to wait for Emma to get ready.

After Emma did her daily morning routine: bathroom, brush teeth, and put on workout clothes, Emma gathered the leash, put it on Ditie’s collar and started on their daily walk.

It was seven in the morning, not too early, although, earlier than Emma would have normally been up before she had a dog. Emma had never been a morning person, but she now had a dog she was responsible for. Luckily, there was a dog park not too far away that they would walk to, plus Emma could get her morning coffee fix right before the entrance of the park.

Once they made it to the park, coffee in hand, Emma let Ditie go while she sat down on her usual bench. She watched Ditie sniff and play around with the few other dogs in the park this early before getting her phone out of the hidden pocket of her workout leggings to check her email.

She was hoping that she’d have some info about the skip she was currently tracking, but instead she saw a reply back from the MustLoveDogs.com website. Killian Jones had also sent her a virtual kiss!

Her heart skipped several beats when she saw that. She noticed that the time sent on the email was 11:59 PM, which means he’d seen it and responded almost immediately after she’d sent the original kiss. The ball was now in her court.

But she wasn’t sure what to do now. The bigger dating sites had an instant messenger type feature. She could usually feel a guy out by his short responses to see if she wanted to go out on a date. Of course, most of her dates had gone horribly, so maybe instant messaging was not the way to figure out if someone was a good match. This site was pretty new so it didn’t have that feature. She could email him through the site though.

As she sat on the bench contemplating her next move, someone sat down directly next to her, practically pushing her off the bench. She was about to give this person a piece of her mind when she saw who it was.

“Ruby!’ she yelled, “What the hell?” Ruby just laughed, flipping her brown locks with red streaks behind her shoulders.

“Sorry,” she replied with a smile on her bright red lips, way too bright for seven in the morning, “I saw you sitting her when I brought Wolfie in and you seemed so deep in thought, I couldn’t resist.” Ruby was one of the first friends she had made when Emma had moved to Boston. Her grandmother owned the 24-hour diner where she and Ruby had worked. They had worked many a graveyard shift together catering to the drunk college students in the wee hours of the night.

“What are you doing here so early?” Emma asked. Ruby’s girlfriend, Dorothy usually walked Wolfie, their Alaskan Malamute/Samoyed mix, in the mornings. Ruby was less of a morning person than Emma was.

“She’s visiting relatives in Kansas for the week.” Ruby pouted, “Which means I have morning Wolfie duty this week. What’s so interesting on your phone this morning?”

Emma almost took the phone away, embarrassed that she already seemed so into a guy that she’d only read a profile for, but if anyone would give her an honest opinion about this, it was Ruby, as she was known for being as blunt as someone could be. Emma gave a sigh.

“So, I found a guy online, we haven’t even interacted yet except for a virtual kiss, which is basically like a nudge or poke on most dating sites, but I think he could be it.” Emma said as quickly as she could. Ruby raised a perfectly arched eyebrow.

“Look at you Emma, you’re blushing. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you blush over a guy. You’re usually a ‘one and done’ kind of girl. I mean, I know you were trying the whole online dating thing, but this is different.” She stared at her friend, “Let me see his profile.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Emma said, still a little embarrassed, the flush on her cheeks spreading further down her face, “I mean, like I said, we haven’t even spoken yet, it could be nothing.” but she reluctantly started pulling up the website to show to Ruby.

“Honey, that face is not nothing.” She greedily grabbed the phone from Emma the moment Killian’s profile loaded up.

“Oh, he’s cute!” Ruby gushed. She quickly read over the profile and laughed at Jolly’s profile muttering ‘pirates and Peter Pan’ under her breath. Then she looked up at Emma with the most sincere look Emma had ever seen before.

“Emma, I have a feeling about this guy. I think he sounds perfect for you. Send him an email.”

“Oh, god!” Emma said worriedly, “I wouldn’t even know what to say. What the hell do you write in an email to a guy you think is hot and writes like a poet? This is way out of my depth.” She put her head in her hands.

“Here’s what I think you should express to him in the email,” Ruby started, but both Ditie and Wolfie barreled into them at that exact moment to get attention from their owners.

“I think that’s my cue.” Ruby stated. Both she and Emma got up and attached leashes to collars and harnesses. The women got up and gave each other hugs. Emma put her phone back in the hidden pocket of her workout pants and started to walk away when she suddenly turned back toward Ruby.

“What did you think I should I put in the email?” Emma asked as she had just remembered that Ruby had been interrupted before she finished telling her what to write. Ruby turned to Emma, gave her a wolfish grin with her big, red lips, then turned back around and walked away. 

“Of course.” Emma said to herself. She was an adult, she would be able to figure this out herself. She and Ditie exited the park and headed back to her apartment to start getting ready for work.

EKEKEK

Killian was not a fidgety person by nature. He was usually very focused on the task at hand which left no room for fidgeting. And even though he was very focused on redesigning the website, he was constantly checking his email to see if Emma Swan had responded back yet. 

And she hadn’t. 

Hence the fidgeting. 

Which meant tapping the fingers that weren’t on his trackpad on the table. 

And annoying his co-worker. 

Who also happened to be his brother. 

And a big reason why Killian had wanted to work at this company.

“Little brother,” Liam started.

“Younger brother.” Killian corrected before getting out of his email and back to his work.

“Killian.” Liam said trying again.

“Yes.” Killian said not taking his eyes off his computer. 

“What’s with the tapping?” 

“Bloody hell!” Killian thought, immediately stopping the tapping and putting his hand around his coffee cup instead. Hopefully, having something physically in his hand would temper the impulse to tap his fingers on his desk.

“Killian.” Liam said almost menacingly.

“I’m just really engrossed in redesigning the website for the company you work for.” Killian said taking a sip of the now lukewarm coffee. “It’s the biggest project the company has let me undertake and I don’t want to bollocks it up.”

“Killian.” Liam said again, his arms now crossed, the pose that Killian knew meant he needed to tell him what was distracting him now. The pose that throughout his whole childhood, made him seem more like his father rather than his older brother.

“I…” Killian started, but realized it was much too soon to be telling his brother, or anyone for that matter, about someone online that he had only communicated with by virtual kiss. He knew he was acting a bit irrationally. He felt like a 13-year-old boy with his first crush. Like he had sent her a note in class and was waiting for a response to the question ‘Will you be my girlfriend? Tick Yes or No.’ 

“It’s nothing, Liam. I just have a lot on my mind. I realized it had been about a year since I started working here, and that reminded why I started here in the first place…” He trailed off. He supposed invoking the memory of his ex was worth it just to get Liam off his back. Liam knew it had taken Killian quite some time to get over Milah. And maybe Killian did feel a little bad bringing up Milah when he wasn’t really in that place anymore. He had thought Milah was it, the love of his life, but he had this invigorating feeling that he hadn’t felt in a long time…. He was positive, given the chance, he could fall in love with this Emma Swan.

Liam lifted an eyebrow. He didn’t believe his brother for a second. This distraction was not from memories of a broken heart. This distraction seemed like it was almost from… hope? But he wasn’t going to push. Killian would tell him what was going on when he was ready.

“I need to get back to…” An email popped up. An email from the MustLoveDogs website from one Emma Swan! Killian didn’t even think about the fact that Liam was still there. He immediately clicked to open the email.

_Hi Killian,_

_I was so glad to get that virtual kiss back from you. I’ll admit, I felt really dumb doing that, but the website doesn’t have an instant messaging program to contact you in a better fashion. Anyway, I thought I’d tell you that I really liked your profile (which I’m sure you figured out from me contacting you) and I love the fact that we both have the same type of dogs. How long have you had Jolly? I just recently got Aphrodite a few months ago. She’s been a great addition to my life. I don’t know how I survived before her. And luckily, she doesn’t mind my weird work hours. I said in my profile that I work in bail bonds. It is definitely not your normal 9-5 job. In fact, there are really no set hours. It just depends on how dumb the scumbags I go after are sometimes. And because of that I have to keep in good shape. I hope you don’t mind the fact that I can usually manhandle a guy that’s at least 220lbs, otherwise I wouldn’t be that good at my job. And, like my profile said, I’m working toward my degree in Criminal Justice and looking to get into the police academy. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for awhile now, and I’ve finally got to a point where I can do it. It’s been tough trying to do everything, but I really don’t want to be in bail bonds for the rest of my life. I’d rather have a regular paycheck and backup if I need it. Not that I can’t take care of myself, but if you knew some of the situations I’ve gotten myself into and out of, well...._

_Graphic Design sounds really fun. I’ve never been that artistic. And you’re working at a company that also includes your love of boats. That’s sounds great! I've never really worked a regular job. I waitressed a lot before I got into bail bonds. But I see that you graduated from BU where I am currently going, so there’s something else we have in common._

_I don’t want to talk (write?) your ear off, so I’ll just leave it there._

_I look forward to hearing from you._

_Emma_

“I mean, there isn’t much here, but she seems like she could be a good match for you.” Liam said from behind Killian.

“Bloody hell, Liam!” Killian roared, his heart, which had just been soaring now dropping into his stomach. He quickly shut his laptop and turned to face his scoundrel of a brother.

Liam barked out a laugh when he saw Killian’s flushed cheeks. It was just like his little brother to fall hard for a woman so fast.

“Were you seriously just reading my personal email over my shoulder?” Killian fumed.

“Well, you stopped talking mid-sentence…” Liam began and then changed tactics, “You kind of spaced out there and you just got this twinkle in your eye and started grinning, so I got curious. Sorry.” He paused, “Would you like to tell me about the email?”

Killian glanced at his now closed laptop, then back at his older brother who seemed to really have taken a keen interest in the situation. He sighed as he opened up the laptop again.

“Well,” he said, nervously scratching the back of his neck, “there’s this girl.”

EKEKEK

It was 9 o’clock at night and Emma was bored out of her mind. She was sitting across from her skips ex-girlfriend’s apartment hoping beyond hope that she would see him either entering or exiting the building. And it was the beginning of fall, so her yellow bug did not do much to keep out the chill that had started in the air over the past few days as summer waned. 

Normally she would text with Mary Margaret or Ruby while on a stakeout, but Mary Margaret and David were taking a very needed date night, and Ruby had a Facetime date with Dorothy, which basically meant they were having video sex.

“Candy Crush it is.” Emma said pulling out her phone. She paused briefly to look at the lockscreen photo of Ditie when she had first brought her home. The picture showed her looking at Emma warily while she inspected the house. Once Emma had brought the dog bed out, Ditie had decided that this place was okay, had curled up and conked out.

She was about to open her phone when a notification popped up. It was from the MustLoveDogs website.

“ _Oh, god!_ ” she thought to herself. _"Oh, god! Oh, god! Oh, god!”_

He’d written back.

Killian Jones had emailed her back.

She didn’t know why she was so nervous. She was not a nervous person. She wouldn’t last two seconds as a bail bonds person if she was nervous about everything. If there was one thing Emma’s friends could count on with Emma it was that she didn’t get nervous about anything. And here she was, butterflies fluttering around in her stomach, because of an email from a cute guy online.

A guy that she already really liked.

A guy that she thought sounded perfect for her.

For a girl with no family, a string of bad dates, and no real relationships, she thought this was a miracle. Could she really fall for someone just from a brief synopsis of themselves and their cute dog? What if he had emailed back to say he wasn’t really interested? It had been a slip of his hand to send back that virtual kiss.

“Ugh!” she screamed, hitting her steering wheel. “You are not some damsel waiting to be saved, just open the damn email!”

She briefly checked up at the apartment building she was watching to make sure there was no movement coming from there before she swiped the email notification to read it.

_Emma,_

_I was so glad to see your email in my inbox today. I am supposed to be redesigning a website for my company, but I was too distracted hoping that I would hear from the beautiful Emma Swan. I hope that comes off more dashing rapscallion rather than deplorable. Some of that pirate charm my profile talked about._

_I saw that in both your profile and your email you mentioned that you are going back to school to get your degree plus planning on going to the police academy. I have to admit, that is a huge turn on. A girl who knows what she wants and can take care of herself, that is definitely someone I would like to get to know better. My brother and I used to box when were in the Royal Navy (did I mention a brother in my profile? Did I mention I was once in the Navy?), but now we just occasionally spar with one another._

_I have had Jolly since she was 7 months old. I got her after a bad time in my life and she made it infinitely better. Who doesn’t like coming home to dog kisses after a bad day?_

_Look, I hope this isn’t too brazen, but I’d really like to have your direct email, and maybe your phone number. I don’t really like having to go through the site to contact you and I prefer talking to people in person. So here is my number and email. I am fervently awaiting your response._

_Killian_


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to @profdanglis for being my beta when she has a million and one other things that she's working on.

“So,” Mary Margaret started as she dished some spaghetti and meat sauce onto Emma’s plate. Emma was thankful that Mary Margaret had invited her over for dinner, as her cabinets and refrigerator were woefully bare. She would have to make a much needed shopping trip tomorrow.

“So…” Emma said back. David gave a snort from beside her, as if he knew exactly what his wife wanted to talk to Emma about. Mary Margaret shot him a dirty look.

“So, I talked to Ruby,” Mary Margaret said, composing her face back to normal. She sat down at the table after dishing out dinner to David as well and began to serve herself. David started to pass around some garlic bread.

“And?” Emma huffed. She knew exactly where this was going, knew it would be a topic of conversation regardless, but she also secretly liked torturing Mary Margaret.

“She said you had some news to share?” Mary Margaret said even more delicately.

“Well...I did catch my skip the other day. Idiot decided to go visit an ex -girlfriend who did not want to be visited.” Emma smiled smugly knowing this was not what Mary Margaret was fishing for.

“Oh,” Mary Margaret said, blowing out a puff of air that made the brown bangs of her short pixie cut fly up slightly. “Ruby said that you might have some other news.” David was having a hard time suppressing his laughter.

“Oh,’ Emma said coyly, “You mean about the guy I met online?” she asked as if it were an afterthought.

Mary Margaret squealed in a register that Emma was sure that if Ditie was there, only she would be able to hear.

“We want to hear everything!” Mary Margaret said finally taking a big bite of her spaghetti.

“Just for the record, some of us don’t want to hear _everything_.” David said pointing his garlic bread at Emma before biting into it.

Emma rolled her eyes, “We emailed through the site and he asked me for my number and personal email.” She tried to get her face to stay neutral as she said it, but she couldn’t help the corners of her lips from turning up slightly. She started to twirl her spaghetti so that her mouth might be full for the next barrage of questions Mary Margaret was going to ask her. But Mary Margaret just stared at her with the biggest grin on her face that Emma felt guilty for trying to avoid her questions.

She pulled out her phone and brought up his profile before handing the phone over to Mary Margaret to read.

“I knew that site would help you find someone Emma! Oh, he’s cute!” Mary Margaret exclaimed earning a sound of indignation from her husband.”What? He is. But don’t worry, I only have eyes for you, David.” Mary Margaret mockingly pinched his cheeks, making him blush.

“The email is already pulled up.” Emma stated taking a bite of spaghetti.

Mary Margaret swiped over to the email she had received from Killian. Emma could swear there were tears in Mary Margaret’s eyes.

“Oh, Emma, he sounds perfect for you.” Mary Margaret said in a watery voice. Emma rolled her eyes again.

“I haven’t even met him. He could be all talk. He could be a serial killer.” Emma protested but even she knew she didn’t mean it. She’d known from the minute she saw his profile that this man could be the one, and that scared the hell out of her.

“How can I be this head over heels over a profile and an email? I’m not that girl. I don’t do relationships. Even if my past online dating experience hadn’t been awful, it’s doubtful that any of those guys would’ve made it past a night in the sack.” Emma said exasperated.

“That, for instance, is one of the things I don’t want to know about.” David said with a mouthful of bread. Emma and Mary Margaret ignored him.

“There’s something about him, the way he writes and the way he describes things, that gets me all shy and nervous. I feel like he could really be the one,” Emma looked up and saw the foolish grin plastered on Mary Margaret’s face, “which is really dumb because I haven’t even met him yet.” she finished quickly.

“Send him your email and your number,” David advised. Emma gave him a bewildered look. “I know it seems a little personal, but he sounds pretty direct. And you’re usually more direct when you’re not playing this weird damsel in distress thing you’ve got going on right now.”

Wow! Emma hadn’t expected David to be doling out the dating advice. He tended to treat her like his little sister most of the time, even though she was Mary Margaret’s friend. So pushing toward a guy she met online was really not in character for him.

Emma’s expression must have given all that she was thinking away because David continued with, “Emma, all we want is to see you happy. Plus, we all know you could kick his ass ten ways to Sunday if he pulled any crap on you.” He finished with a huge bite of his garlic bread and then grabbed another from the plate.

Emma grabbed her phone back from Mary Margaret. David was right (who knew she’d ever think that?). She’d been looking at his profile and email as if he were a relative who lived far away and she wanted to show off his picture, but he wasn’t. He was a living, breathing, man who was interested in her. 

“Excuse me.” Emma said, backing up her chair from the table and heading over to the couch. “I just need to send him an email real quick with my information.” 

Mary Margaret looked over at her husband, a huge smile on her face. Then she and David continued to eat while Emma sent her message to Killian.

EKEKEK

Killian eased the key into his apartment door and was practically run over by Jolly rushing to greet him. 

“Sorry, girl.” he said as she jumped up to try and give him kisses, eventually just licking his hands instead.

“I know I’m a little late getting home. Did Henry from across the hall take you out?” Killian checked the leash and saw that it was laying on the front table instead of hanging on the wall, his and Henry’s code so that Killian knew that Jolly had been taken care of. Henry was a good kid. Killian would usually give Henry $10 anytime he needed Jolly walked because he was running late from work, like he was today.

He walked over to the kitchen table and set down his laptop and Chinese take out he’d brought home. He preferred to cook, but it was already 7 o’clock. Too late to get something defrosted, so Chinese it was. Besides, who could argue with egg rolls and Orange Chicken (no one, that’s who)?

He lived in a small one-bedroom apartment, though it was barely more than a studio. His bedroom barely fit his queen-sized bed and a dresser. But the rest of the place had lots of windows and a balcony, and it was an open floor plan, so it really wasn’t so bad. He could also see the ocean from his balcony, so that was a plus. In the summertime he could open all the windows, and the breeze coming off the Atlantic was amazing.

Killian grabbed some dog food from it’s container in the pantry and poured some out for Jolly. She immediately went over and started chowing down, even though he was sure Henry had given her some earlier as well. He added some water to her water bowl as well before settling himself down to eat his own food.

He wondered what Emma was up to tonight. She had said she worked in bail bonds, so maybe she was on a stakeout tonight. Maybe she had a late night class at BU (he wasn’t sure if she was taking online courses or regular courses), or maybe she was studying more for the police exam. Was she wondering what he was doing as well? 

He finished up his meal and threw the rubbish away, packing up the leftovers for his lunch tomorrow. Then he walked over to his recliner intent on catching up on some of his shows. He hadn’t heard from Emma in two days. Maybe he had spooked her by asking for her personal information so soon. He just wanted to cut to the chase, cut out the middleman, so to speak.

Jolly, having finished her dinner, came over to get her ears scratched, one of her favorite pastimes. Killian absent-mindedly scratched her ears while flipping through his queue of shows, trying to decide which one to watch. It was then he realized that his backside was vibrating.

“Bloody hell!” he grumbled, realizing that he hadn’t taken his phone off of silent since leaving work. He grabbed it and began looking at his notifications. It looked like Will had been texting him to see if he wanted to grab dinner.

_“Too late for that, mate”_ He texted back to him. He then noticed he had an additional notification.

He had another email from Emma.

In his actual email account.

Not from the MustLoveDogs website.

Killian got up and grabbed his laptop from where he had left it and quickly pulled up his email. He preferred responding to emails on his laptop than from his phone.

_Killian,_

_I’ll admit, I was a bit nervous that you asked for my email and phone number. The other dating websites I’ve been on usually had an instant messaging feature, so it was a lot easier to communicate without giving out personal information. Not that I’ve been on a lot of dating websites. They all suck by the way. A story for another time. But I’ve realized through just your profile and email that I’d like to get to know you better. I’d prefer email over texting as texting is basically meant for small talk. I have included my phone number though. Do with it what you will. I’d definitely like to know about your time in the Navy and boxing and how you ended up in Boston and with Jolly._

_Hope to hear from you soon (I really hate these lame ways of basically saying write back),_

_Emma_

She had also attached a picture of Aphrodite asleep in a dog bed. 

“What should I do, Jolly? Call her tonight or send her an email?” He showed Jolly the picture of the sleeping Aphrodite. Jolly gave him a ridiculous look which Killian took to mean “How would I know, you idiot, I’m only a dog.” Killian liked to imagine that Jolly had a British accent like himself and sounded like Helen Mirren from _The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy._ She then padded over to the bed and laid down to go to sleep.

Killian snapped a picture of Jolly on his phone and decided that he would send it to Emma since she’d sent him one of her dog. It was amazing how similar their dogs looked. A beautiful, strong woman with the same taste in pets, how much more perfect could she be?

_Emma,_

_Jolly is sleeping too. She was not as impressed by your correspondence as I was. But then again, she is only a dog. Maybe she’s jealous that I have another dog on my phone. Even though her profile said she wanted a doggy friend, she’s only had me for the past year and a half. I hope our dogs get along as well as we seem to. I prefer talking on the phone to email or texting (I completely agree about texting), so expect to hear from me some time tomorrow. I hope the rest of your night is satisfactory._

_Killian_

EKEKEK

“I can’t believe we’re finally meeting,” Emma said as she sat down in an oversized, plush armchair.

“I know. It feels like we’ve been emailing forever,” Killian said to her as he set down his coffee on the long table and sat down in another armchair. His did not look as comfortable as Emma’s.

Anticipation fluttered in Emma’s stomach. It seemed like they had been missing each other left and right. It had taken weeks to align their schedules to actually get to meet up. But something about this didn’t seem right.

She looked over in the corner to see two black and white dogs tussling with each other.

“Did you bring Jolly with you?” she inquired.

Killian nodded, taking a sip from a comically large cappuccino mug. Except that there was a flowery teapot on the table.

“You brought Ditie too,” he added. She looked back over at the dogs and noticed that one of them was indeed Ditie. Something still wasn’t sitting right. She wondered why she would bring her dog to a coffee shop.

“Do they allow dogs in here?” Emma inquired, and then she realized, “How do you know I call my dog Ditie, I never mentioned it.” Her bail bonds instincts were starting to kick in.

She looked over at Killian who was now pouring an obscene number of sugar cubes into his cup. He opened his mouth to respond but all she could hear was The Police singing “Every Breath You Take”.

What the..? 

That sounded just like her ringtone. 

It was her ringtone. 

She searched the long table for the phone but didn’t see it anywhere.

Killian was still putting sugar cubes into his tea and singing her ringtone.

And that’s when Emma finally realized she was dreaming.

She rolled over, still half-asleep, to try and feel her phone on the nightstand. Someone was obviously calling her. By the time she felt the phone, it had stopped ringing. She checked the time. It was 8 AM.

_“Who the hell is calling me at 8 AM on a Friday morning?”_ she wondered. She checked the number. It wasn’t work or anyone whose name was saved in her phone. The number looked slightly familiar, but she wasn’t sure why. Well, if it was important they would leave a message.

_“No more Alice in Wonderland before bed,”_ Emma thought, realizing that the tea party from the cartoon was featured heavily in her dream. She had come home from Mary Margaret and David’s late last night after watching the aforementioned movie, along with copious amounts of wine, because Mary Margaret was insistent that if they were going to eat somewhat Italian food, they had to have wine with it as well. Emma’s head was not happy with that. Thank goodness she’d decided to Uber it to their apartment rather than drive her bug.

Emma was debating whether to lounge around some more or get up (she only had to put in half a day today, just filling out paperwork) when Ditie padded in and started to whine. 

“Ok, girl, I know what that means.” Emma said getting out of bed and scratching Ditie’s head. She quickly grabbed her workout clothes from off the floor and put them on. She and Ditie headed to the door so she could attire Ditie for the walk. Emma also grabbed a lightweight hoodie as the weather had a bit of a nip to it in the mornings now.

When they got to the dog park, Emma grabbed a cup of coffee, per usual, and brought out her phone to check her email and see if whomever had called had left a message. They had.

“Hello Emma Swan. This is Killian Jones, from the Must Love Dogs website.” Emma quickly paused the message. Her heart was about to start beating out of her chest. 

He’d called!

He’d called and he sounded incredibly nervous. Coupled with his accent he sounded adorable.

And then it dawned on her.

He’d called and she missed it!

She dragged the message back to the start and pressed play.

“Hello Emma Swan. This is Killian Jones, from the Must Love Dogs website. Sorry, that sounded really doltish. I had said I’d be calling you in my email last night, so hopefully you’re not screening my telephone call. I had hoped to catch you before I got into work. You’re probably getting ready for work. It’s Friday, so I’ll be getting off at 4 today, so…. I’ll try you again later. Bye.”

“Shit!” she gasped looking at the phone. Killian Jones had called her and she’d missed it because she’d been sleeping. And it was still too damn early to call anyone to talk about it! And then she remembered that he had said he’d emailed her the previous night.

“Shit!” she said again, because she hadn’t checked her email last night or this morning. She opened her email app and saw, that yes, indeed, he had responded to her email at around eight the night before. And he’d included a picture of Jolly sleeping.

“Awww!”

Normally, Emma would lounge at the park for a little while longer, but now she was a bundle of nervous energy. She just wanted it to be 4 o’clock so Killian would call her back. She should have put his number in her contacts when he gave it to her, then this would not have happened. She felt like the biggest idiot. Of course, the wine and late night Disney had not helped the situation. She immediately added his number so she would know it was him when he called later.

“Ditie! Come!” she yelled over the thrum of the dog park. Ditie looked at her and whined as if to say “But we just got here”. “Ditie!” Emma said a bit more impatiently this time. Ditie bowed her head and slunk over to her owner. She knew when Emma meant business. 

“Good dog!” Emma said kneeling to clip the leash to Ditie’s harness and scratching behind her ears. Ditie gave her a half-hearted lick.

“I know you didn’t get as much playtime as usual, but mama’s got things to do.” 

The day seemed to drag on forever. After getting home from the park, Emma got dressed for work. She knew she only had half a day of work to do, but she needed to keep her mind off of the fact that Killian was going to call again.

Her mind started drifting while she was doing some of, what she considered, pointless paperwork. She really hadn’t dated much. Growing up in the foster system had not left room for relationships. Any time she’d made a friend, she’d end up leaving. And living in a world before email and the internet, it wasn’t easy to keep in touch. So she’d stopped trying. When she’d ended up in Boston and meeting Ruby, friends had started to come more easily. Ruby wouldn’t take no for an answer when she’d invite her places. Asking didn’t mean she had a choice. Emma was thankful for that now. Without Ruby she wouldn’t have met Mary Margaret, who had been a good friend of hers in high school, and had moved to the big city with Ruby to go to college while Ruby waitressed in her grandmother’s diner. Ruby’s grandmother had called them the Three Musketeers, but after awhile Mary Margaret met David and Ruby had met Dorothy. Sure they had tried to set Emma up, but just because they knew people who were single didn’t mean they were the right person for Emma (she grimaced when thinking about Graham, a friend of Ruby’s, who happened to be in law enforcement, and that was all they had in common).

But Killian, there was just something about him. She hoped it wasn’t all a facade. Something constructed for his online persona. That his picture wasn’t a fake and everything he wrote was copied from somewhere else. Her bail bonds instincts were not screaming at her that she was being catfished though. Her heart was practically singing and telling her this guy was it. Something she never thought she’d ever think in her life. Not after life had let her down so many times before.

“Hey, Emma!” The voice of her boss broke her out of her trip down memory lane. He was a short, grumpy man named Leroy, but he’d taken her under his wing when she was tired of waiting tables and taught her everything she knew about bail bonds. “Are you done with that paperwork yet? You’ve been staring at your laptop for the past half hour and you haven’t moved a muscle.”

“Um, yes. Sorry. Just thinking,” Emma said. She finished printing out everything that was needed and handed it to Leroy. She checked the time: a little after noon. She decided to text Ruby to see if she was available for lunch. She was.

“Bye Leroy. See you Monday.” Unless something important came up, Emma had most weekends free. The weekends were for committing crimes, not jumping bail apparently.

Emma entered the diner and saw Ruby in their usual booth in the back that was usually reserved for the manager during lunch. Ruby now managed the diner that her grandmother owned. Emma slid into the booth and immediately started to freak out.

“I missed a phone call from him this morning. I was asleep and I missed his damn call,” she lamented. Emma banged her arms and head on the table.

Ruby, with her wolfish grin, said nothing, just motioned for the server to come to the booth.

“Give me the roast beef sandwich with french fries and a Coke, and my friend here will have a grilled cheese, onion rings, and a hot chocolate with whipped cream and cinnamon.” Ruby turned back to Emma as the server walked away to prepare the order.

“Thanks.” Emma said.

“Look, Emma, I know you have it bad for this guy, which is so weird because you never fall for men like this, but you have to get yourself under control.” Emma attempted to interrupt at this point but Ruby gave her a look which shut her down. “Did he leave a message?”

“Yes.”

“Did he say he’d call later?”

“Yes.”

“Then what are you getting all out of sorts about?” Ruby asked taking a sip of the soda that had just been placed in front of her.

“I’m just...nervous. This is not me. You’re right, I don’t get nervous over men. David said I was playing the damsel in distress the other night and to cut it out. What if I meet him and he’s nothing like I thought?” Emma asked slightly anxious. She restlessly swiped her finger through her whipped cream and licked it off.

“And what if he’s better? What if he’s the ultimate perfect man for you, Emma?” Ruby challenged back. “You need to stop asking ‘What if?’ because that will lead you down a path you don’t want to go.” Ruby stared at her until Emma nodded her understanding.

“Now stop freaking out so we can eat lunch together, because I have a feeling that once you two meet, I’ll never get to have you to myself again,” Ruby said with a huge grin on her face.

It was two by the time Emma and Ruby finished lunch. Emma headed back to her apartment and then took Ditie out for a walk. She might have gone back to the park, but she had too much nervous energy to work off. They walked around the neighborhood. Emma wondered where Killian’s work was. Most likely near the shore since it was a boat touring company. Although, maybe he worked out of a corporate office somewhere else. Technically, she could just look up the address, but she wanted to find things out organically, rather than research.

After an hour of wandering around, Emma and Ditie finally headed home. Ditie immediately lapped up the water in her bowl and then padded over to her dog bed. She huffed a few times while she circled around and then flopped down for a nap.

Emma would have loved to take a nap as well, but she was not going to risk missing Killian’s phone call. Instead, she put on the Food Network and mindlessly watched one of their many cooking competition shows.

At exactly 4 o’clock, Emma’s phone rang.

“Be cool, Emma, be cool.” she said to herself. She let it ring twice before she picked it up, not wanting to come off like she was desperately waiting for his call.

“Hello?” she said casually.

“Emma Swan? It’s Killian Jones. It’s great to finally hear your voice,” he said.

“Yours too. I’m so sorry I missed your call this morning. A little too much wine last night and some weird dreams had me completely out.” She said.

“Weird dreams?” he responded. God, his voice was so much better than on the voicemail. She could only imagine how it would be in person.

“My friend, Mary Margaret, and I decided to watch Alice in Wonderland, while drinking wine. So, I dreamed that we were on a date and it had some overt tea party themes going on.” Emma said.

“Dreaming of me already?” Killian responded with a slight hint of arrogance, but nothing too off-putting. She did just tell him he was in her dream. Emma responded with an eye roll but also and embarrassed giggle.

Killian thought that giggle was the most beautiful sound in the world.

“Look, Emma,” Killian began, “I know this is extremely short notice, but would you be interested in going out with a dashingly, handsome man tonight?” He held his breath.

Emma paused thinking of how to respond, “Is George Clooney in town? I thought he was married?” 

Killian let out a barking laugh. “Ok, I deserved that.” He paused to regroup, “But seriously, are you available tonight?”

“Yes, “ Emma began, not even giving any pretense that she might have to think it over, “I would love to go out with you tonight, Killian.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I did miss the first time my husband called me up. It was a Saturday in real life, and I was never going to be awake at 8 AM on a weekend when I was in my 20's.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s Chapter 4 and time for the first date! This is based very much on my first date with my husband, read the notes below for all the details. Thanks once again for @profdanglais for being my beta.

Killian arrived at the restaurant 10 minutes before the start of the date. He hadn’t meant to get there so early, but he’d been nervous after getting dressed in jeans and a blue plaid flannel, and had been pacing around his apartment for half an hour before finally just getting in his Jeep and heading over to where he was to meet Emma.

He had suggested The Boathouse for their date. It was a restaurant with a great view of the harbor. It also had an amazing outdoor patio and the weather was still nice enough that they could eat out there without overheating or shivering from cold.

He got himself seated out on the patio and he could also see the parking lot from his table. He scrutinized every car that drove into the lot hoping that it was Emma, but after 10 minutes she still had not arrived. He really hoped he was not being stood up.

Killian had taken a chance by asking her out for that night. He knew it wasn’t exactly good form, giving a woman only three hours to get ready, but he really wanted to meet her face to face. He thought the anticipation would kill him if he had to wait until tomorrow to meet her.

An older model, yellow Volkswagen Beetle drove into the lot. He could hear the screeching of metal on metal coming from its engine. He truly hoped that wasn’t Emma’s car. He didn’t fancy driving around someday in what seemed like a death trap. The Beetle found a parking place and a beautiful, blonde goddess emerged from the car. He guessed he would be driving around in that metal death trap.

She walked across the parking lot into the restaurant. She was wearing skinny jeans and brown calf-length boots with some sort of green top that was covered by a red leather jacket. Her blonde hair hung in shiny, loose waves down her figure. She looked even better in person.

“Emma?” he asked getting up from where he’d been sitting. She walked over and gave him a shy smile. “You look stunning.” He walked over to her seat and pulled out the chair for her.

“Such a gentleman.” Emma said smiling again, but not as shy as before. She sat in the seat and removed her jacket, placing it on the back of the seat. She was wearing a wrap-around green top that showed off her curves perfectly, but didn’t reveal too much cleavage.

“I’m always a gentleman.” Killian replied going back to his side of the table and taking a seat. “That’s quite a vessel you captain there,” he said, referring to her car. Emma blushed.

“I know. It was the first car I ever bought with my own money and I just can’t bear to get rid of her.” She glanced down at the menu almost as if she were embarrassed.

‘Hey,” Killian said grabbing her hand, “there’s nothing wrong with holding on to things with pleasant memories. I just haven’t seen one of those in awhile.” He smiled, hoping to make her feel more secure. “And,” he added, ‘my friend Robin happens to be a mechanic for foreign-made cars, and I know he’ll give a friend discount.” 

“Well, I may just have to keep you around just for that.” She smirked and then looked back down at her menu.

“Yes, maybe you should.” Killian replied, looking at his own menu as well.

Killian didn’t know when he’d been on a more entertaining date. Emma regaled him with tales of outrageous bail jumpers that she’d had to arrest.

“I found him dangling from his girlfriend’s apartment fire escape, butt-naked, except for his shoes, trying to make a run for it. And it was January!”

Killian told some comical tales about life in the Royal Navy.

“My commanding officer during basic training was only about 66 inches tall and had to stand on a box just to yell in most of our faces. My friend Will and I just couldn’t keep a straight face the first time he did it and both of us busted up laughing. After we had to clean the latrines with toothbrushes, we learned to hold in our laughter.”

They compared stories about their dogs.

“Ditie likes to wake me up by putting her face right into mine. Nothing like dog breath to wake a person up.” Emma laughed.

“Jolly likes to sleep in my bed with me. I tried to deter it, but she kept giving me a sad face and I finally gave in. And she hogs the covers.” Killian said laughing.

Emma told him about the previous bad online dates she had that prompted her to adopt Aphrodite.

“He really claimed getting kicked in the balls was more painful than childbirth? What a wanker!” He marveled at the amount of bad dates she’d been on. Could those idiots not see what was right in front of them?

Killian told her how he’d forgotten he had even set up an account on the MustLoveDogs website.

“I almost moved it to my spam folder. I’d joined the site in an inebriated state about a year ago. You were the first woman to even respond.” He said smiling again and taking the last bite of his dinner.

“I find that hard to believe. Your profile was pretty amazing.” Emma said. She exuded confidence now. She had started out a little reserved (he couldn’t blame her after hearing those stories), but she was in her element now. Eating and talking with abandon. “I actually tried to model my profile after yours,” she gave a small smile, and god how he loved that smile already, “so we’d seem more in sync.” She blushed a little, although Killian barely saw it as night had fallen and the patio was only lit by fairy lights.

The patio had been awfully full and between the boats on the harbor and the cars in the parking lot, they had moved closer to each other to not miss a word the other said. The waitress came and removed their plates and they both asked for a wine refill as they weren’t ready to part yet.

“Tell me, Emma,” he began as he took a sip of the fresh glass of wine the server had brought to them, “how did you end up in Boston? You said you moved around a lot.” He suspected he knew the answer. She hadn’t said she was a military brat when he spoke of his service.

“Um,” she started, tracing the rim of her wine glass, “I was in the foster system. Abandoned as a baby, no idea who my parents were, or are, and don’t care.” She said it nonchalantly, as if it hadn’t affected her her entire life, but as if it were something that had just happened to her. “So, I was in a variety of places. Found in Maine and lived in Minnesota, Washington, Arizona, and Florida before I came to Boston, where I aged out of the system.” Emma took a long sip of her wine.

“Hey,” he said, taking her hands in his, “I’m sorry. Not for what happened in your past, but for all those people who were too idiotic to see what they had in front of them. But I get it. Wounds that are made when we’re young tend to linger.” He pressed a kiss to the knuckles of her hands.

“Thank you, Killian.” Emma said removing her hands from his and dabbing her napkin under her eyes. “I didn’t mean for it to get so heavy. Tragic backstories aren’t usually first date material.” She put the napkin back down on the table and resumed holding his hands.

“Do you want to get out of here? This place will be closing soon and I know a great bar where we can hang out for a little while longer if you’re amenable.” Killian waggled his eyebrows at her.

“Sure,” Emma smiled, “I’d like that.”

EKEKEK

Emma couldn’t believe how great the date was going. Usually she was annoyed or pissed with her date after half an hour, but she was utterly fascinated with Killian. Even after she’d told him about her past he didn’t judge her, only gave words of encouragement. He was funny, a good listener, a good conversationalist, and drop dead sexy (that flannel he was wearing matched his blue eyes perfectly), plus he had a dog, could he be any more perfect?

Killian had suggested going to a bar that was not too far away. One they could walk to without problem. Emma didn’t want the date to end, so when he’d suggest going to The Rabbit Hole, she was game. She’d seen the bar before but had never actually gone in.

They talked the whole way to the bar. Emma told him about Ruby and Dorothy and Mary Margaret and David. 

“Mary Margaret found the website for me,” Emma admitted. “I never would have gone looking for something like that on my own.

Killian told her about Robin and Will and his brother, Liam.

“Robin and Will might as well be my brothers too. They can be wild, but they’re the best mates anyone could have. Got me out of a right bunch of trouble in my younger days. Liam practically raised me. My dad left early on and my mum got sick when I was in secondary school. Liam put off university until after she died and I went into the Navy,” he said somberly. Emma stroked her thumb over his hand that she was already holding.

They made their way to the bar entrance. Killian was surprised there was a cover as bands didn’t usually play on Friday nights.

“It’s the Lost Boys. They came in to play a surprise acoustic set tonight,” the bouncer told them. The Lost Boys were a local alternative band that had a few big hits on the radio. Emma’s eyes lit up. She’d always wanted to see them. Plus, Ruby had dated their bass player back in the day, before they were known.

Killian paid the cover and they went in. The bar was only semi-crowded. The show had not been advertised until the day of and only on their Facebook page, according to the bouncer. Also, they were at the end of their set. They had, maybe, only three songs left. 

Killian went to the bar to get them some drinks, rum and coke for her, straight rum for him. She found a high top table for them to place their drinks on. When Killian returned they started to dance to the music. It wasn’t that easy to dance to alternative rock music, it mostly consisted of jerky movements coming from Killian and a bit of swaying from Emma. She looked over at him and laughed. He seemed so free, like he didn’t have a care in the world. That’s what she wanted, a man who wasn’t afraid to dance like no one was watching, even if he was terrible at it. He had the goofiest grin on his face and he was enjoying himself. And so was she.

The set ended after a few more songs. Emma went to go talk to the bass player for a moment (they’d met once or twice when he and Ruby were dating), and then went back to Killian who was finishing up his drink.

“Sorry,” she said, “Graham dated Ruby once upon a time, so I just had to say hi.” She finished what remained of her drink as well, which was basically watered down rum and coke by that point. 

“No worries.” Killian said smiling, “I had a fantastic time, Emma. Shall we walk back to our cars now?”

“Yeah, let’s go,” Emma said, grabbing her jacket off the table and slipping it on.

They walked out into the cool night air. It felt amazing after dancing in the bar. The walk back went too fast for Emma’s taste, even though it took a good twenty minutes. The brisk air helped clear both their heads from the slight buzzes they had from the last drinks at the bar. They were both silent as they reached the parking lot, their vehicles the only ones left since the restaurant had closed an hour or so ago.They stopped in front of Emma’s car. She turned toward him and blurted out, “Go out with me again.”

“I’d love to.” Killian smiled, “How about you bring Ditie over to my place and I’ll make dinner. I can even invite Will and his lovely girlfriend, Belle, over and they can amuse you with embarrassing stories from the past few years.”

“Ok.” Emma said breathlessly.

“Great!” Killian said, kissing her hand. “Until tomorrow then.” She opened the door to her car and got in and watched him walk to the only other car on the lot, his Jeep. Then she started her car and headed home.

Emma slept well and had pleasant dreams of Killian that night.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My future husband drove into the parking lot in a wood paneled station wagon and I just remembered thinking, 'please don't let that be my date's car.' But it worked so perfectly with Emma's bug, I had to switch roles there. We did go to a restaurant called The Boathouse, but it was in Tempe, AZ, in July, so we were sweltering. And we did end up going to a bar and catching the end of the acoustic show for the local Phoenix, alternative rock band, Authority Zero. And my best friend was a radio DJ for the one alt rock station (RIP 103.9 The Edge), so I went and talked to them after their set. And yes, there was no kiss on the first date.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it! The final chapter. Thank you all that followed me along on my first ever fanfic! I definitely have many more ideas that I want to write down.   
> Thanks again to @profdanglais for being my beta. I don't think I'd have such a great story without your guidance.

“Can you be in love with someone after one date?” Emma said as she sat on a barstool at the diner. 

Ruby’s mouth dropped. She reached over and felt Emma’s forehead. Emma scoffed and batted her hand away. 

“Is Emma Swan, constant critic of love with walls 10 feet tall, telling me she’s in love?” Ruby said shocked.

All Emma could do was nod. 

“That must have been one hell of a date.” Ruby smiled wickedly, “I need details.”

“It was an amazing date.” Emma gushed, “And that’s all it was. We didn’t even kiss. It was just a magical night.” Emma couldn’t help but have a huge grin on her face and a twinkle in her green eyes. 

“What was a magical night?” Mary Margaret asked sliding onto the stool next to Emma.

“Emma here thinks she’s already in love,” Ruby repeated. Mary Margaret looked over at Emma sympathetically.

‘Oh, honey, I know that scares you, but that’s a good thing.” She said rubbing Emma’s arm. “I knew the moment I met David that he was the one.”

“Yeah, but you’re …you and I’m me,” Emma said, “only, I’m not even scared about it. It’s like, every wall I’ve ever had he scaled with a few emails and a night out. I’ve been holding on to all this ...stuff for years, convinced I was meant to be alone. Most of the guys I met online weren’t that much better than the skips I chase after. Like I was trying to prove to myself that there weren’t any good men out there. And Killian, he just ...he makes me believe that I can be loved ...that I’m allowed to be loved.” 

“Damn girl, you’re going to be giving Mary Margaret a run for her money with hope speeches like that.” Ruby said.

“Oh, Emma,” Mary Margaret said wiping away a tear from her eye, “ I always knew you would find love.” She grabbed a napkin off the counter to dab at her eyes. “So,” she said, once she regained her composure, “when are you seeing him again?”

“Tonight, actually.” Emma said blushing. “He invited me for a home-cooked dinner at his apartment with a friend of his and his friend’s girlfriend. And he wants me to bring Ditie over as well.”

Mary Margaret clapped her hands together. “That is so wonderful!” she gushed. 

Emma rolled her eyes and asked Ruby for a hot chocolate. It was wonderful. Everything was wonderful. And Emma Swan didn’t do wonderful. Yet, she wasn’t scared. That screaming in her head that told her this man was bad for her or that she needed to run wasn’t there with Killian. There wasn’t even a whisper. He was everything she’d ever wanted in a man. He had a great personality on top of his good looks. She thought that even when they were older she would still be able to look at him and feel the same things she felt now. He seemed to be reliable and dependable, yet a little dangerous. All in all, he felt safe. 

_ “I wonder if this is what it feels like to be in love.”  _ Emma thought, the warmth in her body having nothing to do with the hot chocolate Ruby had brought to her.  _ “And would it be so bad if it was?”  _

EKEKEK

They had agreed for Emma to come to Killian’s place at 8 o’clock. There was some sort of boating festival going on in the harbor and the website had said there would be fireworks. Killian had thought it might be fun to eat dinner and then watch the fireworks from his balcony.

Emma followed the directions on her GPS to the address Killian had given her. He had said it might be a little hard to find. Apparently, his apartment building didn’t have a name and was not much more than an old converted warehouse behind a huge cannery. 

Ditie was sitting securely in her cage in the backseat of Emma’s bug. If for some reason Ditie and Jolly didn’t get along, or the fireworks ended up scaring her, at least Ditie would have a safe place to go.. Emma didn’t know how she would fare with fireworks only having had her since August.

The sun was setting as she came upon the cannery. There weren’t many street lamps beyond the large building and it was thoroughly creepy. Emma was beginning to wonder if all her instincts had been completely off about Killian and he was leading her here to kill her and thrown her body in the harbor. But they had such an intense connection, she shrugged that off. Just because he lived someplace a little off the beaten path didn’t mean he was any different than how she initially saw him. It was just that fear creeping in and she was determined to keep it out of her date. She finally saw a small apartment building in shadows about three car lengths away with Killian leaning against the front door, one hand holding a leash with what must have been Jolly at the end. 

_ “He looks like James Dean.”  _ Emma thought as she looked him over in his leather jacket and tight jeans.

He looked up from his phone that was in the other hand, and Emma could see a big smile on his face illuminated by the phone screen. Jolly struggled on her leash to see who was driving up. Killian directed her to a small parking area around the back of the building, which was even darker than it had been at the front, and waited for Emma to get out of the car at her own pace while he gave Jolly the command to sit.

Emma got out and let Ditie out of her cage, securing her leash to the harness before letting her out of the car completely. She grabbed her purse and the cage even though Ditie was attempting to make a break for it to see where they were and what that dog scent was.

“Hi.” Emma said as Ditie dragged her over to where Killian and Jolly were waiting. Ditie immediately went over to Jolly where they both sniffed at each other, checking each other out.

“Hello, love.” Killian replied, lifting an eyebrow and licking his lips in such a seductive manner it was making Emma want to melt right on the spot. Should she have such intense feelings already? “Shall we go inside?” Killian had put his phone in his back pocket and now rested his free hand on the small of Emma’s back to guide her toward the apartment complex door.

Killian’s apartment was on the third floor and there was no elevator. Emma thought that taking the stairs was probably for the best, because she had no idea how Ditie and Jolly would react to being in such a confined space together. So far they seemed to be getting along, but Emma knew it could be a whole different story in Jolly’s home.

Killian insisted on carrying Ditie’s cage up the stairs. He set it down to open the door. Two people were already inside getting dinner ready. Emma could see the apartment was small, not much bigger than a studio, but with a modest bedroom. It had room for a couch, a few arm chairs, a television, a desk, and a small dinette set next to the tiny kitchenette where the two people were preparing food.

“Hello!” said the girl, a lovely brunette in a yellow t-shirt and jean shorts. “You must be Emma.” She reached over to shake Emma’s free hand. “I’m Belle, and this ruffian over here is Will.” The other man turned around to say hello as well before continuing with what he was doing in the kitchen.

“They insisted on cooking, even though I’m a brilliant cook myself.” Killian whispered into Emma’s ear. It gave her chills. She was pretty sure Killian noticed. He grinned at her, “Can I take your jacket, love, or do you need to warm up a bit first?” He asked his voice barely more than a seductive whisper next to her ear. Oh yeah, he had definitely noticed. She gave him a look as if to wonder how he could tell he’d given her goosebumps when she was in a jacket and long sleeves. “You’re something of an open book.” He said. 

Emma quickly took off her red leather jacket to reveal the cream colored, long-sleeved shirt underneath. Along with her skinny jeans and black, knee high boots, Emma thought she looked pretty good. Killian was certainly looking at her like he’d like to devour her. He took her jacket and placed it next to his on the coat rack. Emma noticed he was wearing a dark blue button down shirt with a black brocade vest, along with his tight jeans.

“Welcome to my humble abode. I know it’s not much, but it’s home.” Killian said scratching the back of his neck. Will gave a laugh from the kitchen at the whole scene.

Emma reached down to take the leash off of Ditie. She and Jolly immediately started sniffing and frolicking around the small apartment.

“Best friends already.” Killian noted. 

Belle came over from the kitchen and handed them each a glass of white wine. “Will and I went to the fish market today. I hope you’re good with fish and shrimp tacos for dinner.” Emma nodded.

“How did you find this place?” Emma asked. “It’s not like you would have seen it from the street and decided to check it out. I almost thought you were going to murder me or something.” She said with a laugh.

“Ah, well, the complex is owned by the cannery, and they usually only rent out these apartments to people who work there. Will got them to rent me one when I needed it by promising them a discount on my graphic design work. I usually don’t freelance, but it’s a good location.” Killian chuckled. “Will and Belle live upstairs.” he clarified. 

Emma took a sip of wine as she took it all in. The apartment was small but it had many personal touches that she loved. A wall that featured pictures of Killian’s friends, and a man she assumed was his brother since they had the same eyes, were over his desk. He also had what looked like local artwork hanging up, mainly of boats and the ocean.

“Belle did those.” Killian said, coming up behind her, startling Emma a little. “She’s a librarian by trade, but she and I took a few art classes together at BU. That’s how we met. She occasionally has an art show here and there and I like to support my friends.” 

“They’re wonderful.” Emma said keeping her eyes on the paintings. If she turned toward him she would pull him into, what she hoped would be, a searing kiss, but they weren’t alone.

“You’re paintings are wonderful.” Emma said again turning toward Belle.

“Thanks!” Belle said.

“I keep asking her to paint me in the nude, but she seems to think no one but her would want to see that.” Will joked. Belle swatted his chest but giggled at the thought.

“And she’s right, you wanker.” Killian added.

Killian told her how he met Will at a British pub a few miles away that he and Belle frequented (even though Belle was Australian). “Will basically became my friend because he was enamored by Belle,” Killian teased, “but it all worked out because I ended up finding my apartment.”

“And I got the girl!” Will bellowed. Belle elbowed Will this time.

Emma and Killian went and took a seat on the couch, wine in hand. Both Jolly and Ditie came over and sat near their owners, waiting to be petted.

“I’m so glad they’re getting along.” Emma said indicating the dogs who were in heaven now that they were getting attention from their owners. “I was afraid that they might not like each other.” 

“Would that have made you not want to see me anymore?” Killian said with a slight pout. Emma laughed.

“No. I probably would’ve found some kind of dog whisperer to make them get along. It’s weird, in the past if they hadn’t gotten along, I probably would’ve taken that as a sign, but …” Emma trailed off as a blush rose on her cheeks.

“But …” Killian said taking a piece of stray hair and pushing it back behind her ear. He started to lean in towards her, eyes half closed. Emma started to lean towards him too and then --

“Dinner is served.” Belle said placing dishes on the dinner table. She looked over at Killian and Emma on the couch, realizing that she just interrupted their moment. “Sorry.” Belle cringed. This time Will nudged Belle for hindering the almost kiss. Killian let out a huff of frustration, as did Jolly who was upset that his owner had stopped paying him attention.

“I guess we should go eat.” Emma said. She noticed the tips of Killian’s ears were red, she figured her cheeks were probably the same.

He grabbed Emma’s hand and brought her over to the table. Will and Belle had made a fabulous spread. Besides the fish and shrimp tacos, there was a pepper and corn sauté, garlic bread, and what looked like mashed sweet potatoes with marshmallows and cinnamon on top. Killian pulled a chair out for Emma. After she took her seat, he sat down in the chair next to her Belle and Will sat across from them.

“It looks amazing.” Emma said as they started passing around the plates of food.

“Thank you, Emma.” Belle said. Will attempted to say thanks, but his mouth was already stuffed with the garlic bread.

Dinner was wonderful affair. Emma got to know Killian not only from what he told her, but also from his friends’ perspectives. From what Belle said, Killian had been overly serious at BU, having just come from the Royal Navy. He had been very rigid, rising with the sun, going to bed early, always making sure his notes were meticulous. 

“He’s relaxed quite a bit since then.” Belle said laughing, having just told a story where Killian had almost freaked out when she’d jokingly switched his note-taking pencils with his drafting pencils. Killian rolled his eyes.

“I liked structure and order in my life. My childhood was chaotic and I took to having structure like a duck to water.” Killian explained to Emma. “Obviously, I’ve become less informal since then.” He leaned back in his chair as if to show off just how laid-back he could be.

“I get it.” Emma began. “My first few apartments had only enough stuff in them so that I could move quickly if I needed to. Everything had to fit in my car, and you’ve seen how small that is.” Killian arched an eyebrow. “Just something I picked up from having to move every few months. It took me a year at my current apartment before I bought an actual bed frame and furniture. I literally only had a mattress, a small chest of drawers, and a few books and kitchen utensils. Ruby and Mary Margaret forced me to make it livable.” She gave a nervous chuckle and took a sip of wine. Killian took her other hand and kissed the back of it. An awkward pause followed.

“Shall we see if they’re readying the fireworks?” Killian asked, breaking the tension in the room from Emma’s confession. Everyone agreed. They got up, Killian insisting they leave their dishes and he’d take care of them later, and headed out to the balcony. They were greeted with dark purple clouds that looked full of rain and lightning flashing within it.

“I don’t think there will be any fireworks tonight, mate.” Will said clapping a hand on Killian’s shoulder and heading back inside. 

Killian and Emma stayed out on the balcony, heads lifted, looking at the stormy sky.

“I’ve always liked storms.” Emma said. Her voice sounded a few octaves lower. “They were always soothing to me in a new place. The booming of the thunder, the brightness of the lightning, and then the pitter-patter of the rain. And then when it was over, everything bad was washed away and I could start new again.” She continued to stare at the purple sky.

“Aye. I’ve always had an affinity for storms as well. The electricity, the heat and heaviness of the air.” Killian swallowed as Emma lowered her head and looked over at him. He was now staring back, his blue eyes practically gazing into her soul.

“Emma,” he said, brushing her cheek with his hand. Emma had enough of waiting. She knew what she wanted and that was Killian. She grabbed his shirt collar and brought his lips to hers. His lips were warm and he tasted of marshmallows and wine. He seemed almost taken aback at her assertiveness, but then kissed her back with the same vigor, hands looping in her hair. They kissed for what felt like hours until they had to come up for air.

“That was--” Killian said, their foreheads barely touching, their lips just centimeters apart.

“A great substitute for the lack of fireworks.” Emma said surging forward to capture his lips again. Killian laughed into the kiss.

“Aye, well, who needs fireworks when we’re making our own right here.” Killian said. Emma laughed at that. She was about to go in for another kiss when she heard the telltale whining of scared dogs.

“I think we have some dogs that don’t care for the storm as much as we do, love.” Killian sighed. 

They headed back inside to take care of their dogs. Emma couldn’t really be mad. After all, if it hadn’t been for those two dogs, she wouldn’t have met Killian. She may have never opened herself up to love. Who knew that adopting a dog named for the Goddess of Love would actually help her find her true love?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So a few of the real stories behind things that happened in this chapter. My husband lived in an artist community which was basically a bunch of not well built studios behind an art studio in an area of town where there were absolutely no street lamps. I legit thought I might have been completely wrong and I might get murdered. Luckily, I wasn't wrong and we had a wonderful dinner with another couple that lived in some of the other studios.   
> Unfortunately, our dogs did not get along. They didn't get along for the first 5 years of our relationship. They didn't get along until we had our first child and then it became an us against the baby situation.  
> This date was on the 4th of July and we went up on the roof to see if we could see fireworks. We didn't, so we made our own with our first kiss.  
> I knew I was in love and going to marry my husband after our second date.  
> I actually did name my dog Aphrodite and I always referred to her as my Goddess of Love after my husband and I met.

**Author's Note:**

> All the dates described actually happened when I did online dating. The only difference is that the dates Emma went on with August, Walsh, and Neal were all the same guy.


End file.
